Howdy y’all! Natalie here. It has been such a joy to read the words of my fellow land tenders. What beauty and inspiration they bring to every single day in this place. I hope you’ve been enjoying their compositions just as much as me.

As Abundant August comes to a close, and crops like cucumbers, eggplants, and basil are starting to tire out, the dwellers of this land are starting to lean into the idea of winter. With that intrinsic rumbling of energy shift, the dark mornings become a time of contemplation and, for me, two full cups of coffee instead of my rushed one. There’s a word that has come up a lot these past two weeks that has really stuck in my brain during these moments of reflection: steadfast. The Dr. Google definition is as follows:

“Steadfast” describes something or someone that is firm, resolute, and unwavering in their purpose, loyalty, or belief, or that is firmly fixed in place. It implies a reliable and dependable quality, whether it’s a person’s character, a physical object, or an idea or institution that remains constant over time.”

Hubba hubba. That’s the best damn definition of an organic farmer if I’ve ever heard one. Firm. Resolute. Unwavering. I wrote in Rae’s birthday card recently that she’s the “perfect balance of grace and grit”. We all are. And we have to be to do this job of ours. Organic farming requires tenders that are steadfast during times of economic unrest, climate doomism (hello Flat Fire), physical strain, business decisions, supply and demand…the list goes on.

But, in the face of the challenges that make up the difficult moments of this job, we also get to celebrate the steadfastness in our delights and triumphs. We have wins on this farm every single day. We are constantly evolving, growing, learning. We get to celebrate a purpose and loyalty to this land and the creatures that live amongst it that is so deeply rooted in my bones I get goosebumps when I think about it.

These days, I often find myself sensing a general collective energy of overwhelm, stress, unrest. And understandably so. But a topic we talk about a lot on the farm is what bite size action we can take to spread some light out there, what beliefs we can throw energy into resolutely.  Vandana Shiva – y’all know how much we love Vandana Shiva quotes – has a great line about this:

“I do not allow myself to be overcome by hopelessness, no matter how tough the situation. I believe that if you just do your little bit without thinking of the bigness of what you stand against, if you turn to the enlargement of your own capacities, just that itself creates new potential.” ~ Vandana Shiva

You don’t have to be an organic farmer to embody this idea. The moment you choose to be present in a single moment, to take a bite of a delicious Italian pepper and celebrate the flavors that explode in your mouth, to share that pepper over a meal with a neighbor and a friend, you are creating the potential for light to spread. It’s these small moments that exponentiate into the bigger, beautiful picture.

“I think what we owe each other is a celebration of life and to replace fear and hopelessness with fearlessness and joy.” ~ Vandana Shiva

Welp. No one has ever called me short-winded. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for all the ways you are steadfast in your support of us, and for manifesting the celebration of life in this place. We love you.

Natalie Leder